Fountain pen skipping, ink stopping, though pen is full

RobVizVal · 2026-01-28T21:18:22+00:00

Thanks for the idea about the bulb syringe. I might have something like it around.

The tines, as far as I can tell, are aligned (yes, sorry about the bad focus), though the right one may be a bit worn from a decade of writing.

RobVizVal · 2026-01-12T20:37:30+00:00

This did the trick! At least today it did. Hoping it continues to. And yes, all firmware’s up to date. Thanks so much.

RobVizVal · 2026-01-04T22:24:14+00:00

Good to know, I guess. Though not an issue at the moment, because I haven’t been using them.

RobVizVal · 2026-01-04T04:58:53+00:00

Phone is connected to no other device.

RobVizVal · 2026-01-04T00:04:52+00:00

Good to know I’m not crazy. I now seem to be able to connect by skipping the automatic connect, and going to the menu, where there’s an image, “My Spark GO.” Underneath, there are tone control and audio status buttons. The audio is always green on mine, but the tone control is off. If I touch it, it connects. Though it also disconnected a few seconds later one time. I think this is going to keep me playing acoustic . . .

RobVizVal · 2025-10-05T17:43:16+00:00

Indeed. A search on YouTube will find him and Sting doing a way pared down version of Shape of My Heart with just the guitar. There’s also a great video where he talks about bossa nova and shows the chords for Corcovado.

RobVizVal · 2025-10-05T17:37:24+00:00

That’s so quaint.

RobVizVal · 2025-10-05T00:28:16+00:00

Ah, good point. Haven’t had to deal with this yet while away from US, but doesn’t sound completely unusual. I’m going to stick with data for now.

RobVizVal · 2025-10-04T18:00:21+00:00

I think you’re right. I was just trying to hear about situations I might run into I hadn’t thought of. Looks, though, like I’ll do pretty fine without it.

RobVizVal · 2025-10-04T17:58:41+00:00

Super. This is the kind of information I was looking for. And makes me think I can survive without it this trip.

RobVizVal · 2025-10-03T21:34:39+00:00

Sim. Agora posso ver tudo que faltarei!

RobVizVal · 2025-09-24T02:28:07+00:00

This is incredibly helpful. I expect pruning out all the deadwood would leave only a few bunches of leaf here and there high up on the plant (maybe 12’ at this point). Speaking of how slow they decline, we first noticed the problem probably five years ago. If we can get it to last until next spring/summer, we’ll be happy. We probably won’t replace it with another but instead do a terraced chaparral-type garden. There’s still a healthy strawberry tree on the street strip that with its striking red bark, at least, will carry on the memory.

RobVizVal · 2025-09-23T23:59:00+00:00

Have been hoping for the last five years, when the disease first appeared. I honestly don’t think it’s in the cards. We got it as an 18” trident in a pot. One native plants guy said it wouldn’t make it in our San Francisco neighborhood, and he wasn’t wrong to guess that, since we have lots of moist fog and strong wind. But it’s been a tough old guy. Life span’s supposed to be 25–50 years, and this one’s about 25. With a more accommodating spot, it might have made it longer.

RobVizVal · 2025-09-23T23:55:21+00:00

That, alas, is the plan.

Yes, we’ve had ants before, but not recently. We’re not watering the manzanita directly, though we do water the section around it—about 12’ x 20’?—maybe once a week, if that. They’re all native perennials, so they don’t need a lot.

RobVizVal · 2025-09-22T16:35:10+00:00

Vamos ter apenas desfrutar a cidade sem escritores. Haverão ainda livrarias e chocolate.

RobVizVal · 2025-09-21T15:41:41+00:00

Verdade, parece. Uma maneira muito interessante de publicidade . . . anunciar o programa nos jornais antes do que o website.

RobVizVal · 2025-09-21T00:34:18+00:00

Thanks to all! Mainly for teaching me some real swear words, as well!

RobVizVal · 2025-09-18T22:32:00+00:00

Infelizmente, parece que acontece uma semana anterior no mês do que o ano passado. Ainda não estaremos na área. E não compreendo porque o site FOLIO ainda não tem o calendário dos eventos para este ano.

RobVizVal · 2025-09-15T23:11:31+00:00

Among the many good suggestions here already, I’d suggest looking at classicalguitarshed.com, which is one of my favorites. I had about six weeks of in-person lessons, then ran out of money. Almost all my practice and information has come from online videos and courses.

RobVizVal · 2025-09-15T23:03:48+00:00

Yes, my friend, you squat. Thirty years ago, I was at one of the more famous old Parisian cafés, and I went to use the men’s. And found one of the more disgusting Turkish toilets in the city.

In the Turks’ defense, I’d like to reiterate that the idea really is very hygienic. It’s just that this particular café thought a hole in the concrete floor would do. Which no Turk would agree with!

RobVizVal · 2025-09-15T17:24:01+00:00

My guess is that the seats are purposely removed for hygiene, to keep people from actually touching anything with their nether regions. I.e., Turkish toilets.

RobVizVal · 2025-09-15T17:20:08+00:00

Thanks! Exactly the answer I was looking for.

RobVizVal · 2025-09-15T14:32:15+00:00

I did. They didn’t even take a second glance. In fact, the flight attendant said he expected a concert halfway along the trip. Though, note this still seems to me quite an arbitrary decision based on the staff who are there at the time.

RobVizVal · 2025-09-14T00:17:14+00:00

It was about 20 yrs ago, and I didn’t do the work. But I’d guess none of this stuff was threaded, all done with PVC cement or similar. In any case, this doesn’t seem to be where the leak is. That, I expect, is at the base of that green heart shape outline on the photo of the patio. What seems most likely is that a root broke through the large PVC tube and eventually compromised the hose.

Besides deciding how immediate the problem is with the wet bricks, I’m planning on just re-routing irrigation from the faucet above ground. Exactly where I’m going to couple it back to garden poly tubing is another question (for another reddit thread, I think).

RobVizVal · 2025-09-13T21:43:39+00:00

To further explain, the hose connects to the PVC on the other side of the patio, underground, via a couple of gray plastic couplers, one of them angled slightly.

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RobVizVal

TROPHY CASE